How to Stay Strong Into Your 70s — Lessons From Everest Without Oxygen with Steve Swenson
What does it really take to stay strong into your 70s — physically, mentally, and emotionally? In this episode, I sit down with Steve Swenson, one of America’s most respected alpinists, to talk about endurance, aging, and the habits that have kept him moving for decades. Steve has climbed Everest and K2, completed first ascents in the Karakoram, and summited Everest without supplemental oxygen — an experience that strips away ego and rewards preparation, judgment, and restraint. But this conv...
What does it really take to stay strong into your 70s — physically, mentally, and emotionally?
In this episode, I sit down with Steve Swenson, one of America’s most respected alpinists, to talk about endurance, aging, and the habits that have kept him moving for decades.
Steve has climbed Everest and K2, completed first ascents in the Karakoram, and summited Everest without supplemental oxygen — an experience that strips away ego and rewards preparation, judgment, and restraint. But this conversation isn’t about chasing summits.
It’s about what Steve has learned over a lifetime of extreme environments: why endurance matters more than talent as you age, why strength training becomes non-negotiable in your later years, and why staying uninjured is often the biggest win of all.
We talk about:
- What climbing Everest without oxygen actually feels like
- How Steve trains to stay strong and capable into his 70s
- Why consistency beats intensity over the long run
- Strength training, sarcopenia, and aging well
- Partnership, judgment, and making smart decisions under stress
This is a grounded, experience-driven conversation for anyone thinking seriously about longevity — not just in sport, but in life.
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